Manufacture of ring binders



May 10, 1938. ERAMQ 2,117,242

MANUFACTURE OF RING BINDERS Filed March 31, 1957 3 PA TR/CK A. 564 M0 I'NVENTOR AT ORNEY Patented May 10, 1938 E STATES steer eerie]:

MANUFACTURE OF RING BINDERS Patrick A. Eramo, Poughkecpsie, N. Y., assignor to Trussell Manufacturing Company, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 31,

8 Claims.

' In ring binders of the completely reversible type, in which the leaves and covers can be swung back and forth through an arc of substantially 180, it is highly desirable that the rings be truly circular, so that the leaves and covers will To slide freely over from one side to the other.

Special objects of the invention are to accomplish the closing of the rings to the desired sub stantially circular formation and to secure this result with simpleypractical, inexpensive mechanism, which can be operated economically and which will have a high rate of production.

Other desirable objects and the novel features of the invention through which the objects are attained are set forth in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and broadly covered in the claims annexed.

In the drawing there is shown one practical embodiment of the invention, but the structure may be changed and modified as regards this particular disclosure all within the true intent and broad scope of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a broken end view of a pair of dies in separated relation with the open rings of a binder positioned, for closing by said dies.

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the closing and oiisetting action of the dies.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged broken and part sectional view of a completed binder showing the truly circular form the rings assume when the closing pressure of the dies is removed, this view being taken as on substantially the line 3--3 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a broken front view of the binder illustrating the overlapping feature of the ring ends.

In the type of binder chosen for illustration, the rings are formed of a continuous length of wire bent in zig-zag fashion into parallel strands 5, connected by loops 6, to constitute double strand prongs with these strands connected at the backs of the prongs by connecting loops 1. In the completely closed ring formation shown in Figs. 3 and l, the tips of the prongs as represented by the convergent loops 6, enter to some extent into the divergent spaces 8, between adjoining connecting loops at the backs of the prongs, thus with this overlap, providing rings equal to a complete circle.

The possibility of overlap without deformation thus afforded by this convergent-divergent relation of the ring ends is utilized in the present 53 invention by overlapping the ring ends one in- 1937, Serial No. 134,017

side the other in the closing operation and then permitting these ends, as the rings spring. open onrelease of pressure, to assume truly circular form with the convergent ring tips disposed in the divergent back spaces.

Such features are illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, which show an upper straight face closing die 9, cooperating with a lower die having a concave 19, for receiving and positioning the rings, a

downwardly faced front shoulder I l, for engage- In operation, the material to be bound, such as f the leaves 53 and covers l4, l5, are threaded over the tips of the rings, while the latter are-in the open relation shown in Fig; l and then the assembly is inserted between. the dies with the leaves resting on the table I 6, of the lower die the rings positioned in the seat or cavity NJ, with the back connecting loops '5, up against the shoulder H, and the tips of the prongs against the inwardly inclined face I2. As the upper die comes down, it forces the ring tips downwardly over such incline and this incline displaces the tips inwardly as in Fig. 2, beyond the truly circular shape. As the upper die rises, the spring of the wire causes the ring ends to expand outwardly until the tips assume the partly overlap ping relation indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, in the truly circular or substantially circular shape. In this expanding movement, the pressure exerted by the ring tips against the inclined bending face has the effect of releasing or partly releasing the binder rings from the seat in the lower die, providing an ejector action advantageous to quick operation and high production of work with these closing dies.

To assure the bending of the rings to truly circular shape, they may be formed with an intermediate hinging section at H, as by preliminary bending at such point.

The extent to which the ring tips are offset inwardly and hence the incline and extent of the bending face l2 are related to the size and hardness or spring of the wire. With a thin wire on the order of .026 to .034 inch and approximately hard, the relative proportions illustrated will accomplish the necessary offsetting as in Fig. 2, to produce in the end the substantially circular form of ring and desired amount of overlap illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4.

While the invention has been shown in its application to the closing of only one particular type of binder ring, it will be clear that the invention is applicable to various other forms of binder rings of the same type.

What is claimed:

1. The herein disclosed method of closing binder rings, which comprises seating said binder rings with one end of each behind a stop shoulder and the opposite end over an inwardly inclined guide extending toward said stop shoulder and applying pressure to force said opposite end over said inclined guide inwardly and beyond said stop shoulder.

2. The herein disclosed method of closing a binder ring, which comprises seating the same with one end behind a holding shoulder and the opposite end over an inwardly inclined guide extending toward said holding shoulder and then forcing the opposite end inwardly over said inclined guide and beyond said shoulder sufiiciently for the spring of the material to restore the ring to substantially circular form as the closing pressure is released.

3. The herein disclosed method of closing binder rings, which have convergent tip and divergent back portions in opposed relation and which comprises holding said back portions while forcing said tip portions inwardly in ofiset relation beyond said back portions far enough to cause the spring of the material to restore the tip portions into an overlapping relation in said divergent back portions, as the closing pressure is released.

4. The herein disclosed method of closing binder rings, which comprises squeezing the ends of an open ring toward each other and simultaneously positively deflecting one end inside the other end and carrying such ring closing and offsetting operations far enough to enable the spring of the material to restore the ends to a substantially circular ring forming relation as closing pressure is released.

5. Binder ring closing mechanism, comprising companion closing dies, one having a seat for the open binder rings, an overstanding shoulder for engagement by one end of an open ring seated in said die and an inwardly inclined face overstanding said shoulder for deflecting the opposite end of a seated ring inwardly past said first positioned end on the relative closing of the dies.

6. Binder ring closing mechanism, comprising companion ring closing dies, one of said dies having a cavity for seating one side of an open binder ring, a shoulder at one side of said cavity for positioning one end of such open binder ring and a cam face for engagement by the opposite end of such ring and extending on an incline toward said first shoulder.

7. Binder ring closing mechanism, comprising companion ring closing dies, one of said dies having a cavity for seating one side of an open binder ring, a shoulder at one side of said cavity for positioning one end of such open binder ring, a cam face for engagement by the opposite end of such ring and extending on an incline toward said first shoulder and a raised table at the opposite side of the cavity from said shoulder for supporting and positioning the material being bound.

8. Binder closing mechanism, comprising in combination with a table for supporting the material being bound in a definite relation and means at the side of said table and in back of the material being bound for squeezing binder rings engaged in said material in a ring closing direction and for positively offsetting the ends of the rings and for continuing the closing movement to overlap the relatively offset ends far enough for the spring of the material to restore the ends to subtantially circular ring formation when closing pressure is released.

PATRICK A. ERAMO. 

